It's that time of year again folks, and the mushrooms are already popping! Grab your gear and friends and join us in another mushroom bioblitz in the Greater Cape Perpetua Region.

I know last fall was a real bust for most of us, with hot and dry weather into November. But fear not, the weather is surely on our side this time. We also have our resident mycological wizard, Anna Moore, returning with a presentation focusing on the diversity of fungi found in the dunes and forests, from Reedsport to Cape Perpetua. Her lecture will lead into a guided tour along the trails of the region in search of our elusive gilled, toothed and pored quarry.

Those who would like to take part in the guided walk portion of the event should review the flier in the link below, and RSVP as there are a limited number of slots available.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14LzO9iaISUdkqzLSlQBiOD6sgbWQL6Mo/view?usp=sharing

As always, be sure to bring your waterproof shoes, raincoat, water and snacks. See you all out there!

I took a nature walk in my town on Sunday October 13th. In Moorestown, there is this place called Strawbridge Lake, where there is a decent amount of plant life along the banks. My friends from home also had an assignment to do for their science class at the river, so we went together. The weather was surprisingly warm at least compared to Massachusetts. There was some instances of animal life there too including turtles, ladybugs, and milkweed bugs. While there was some trees planted dozens of yards away from the bank, I made sure to only take photos of the plants that were wild. We saw some old people sitting outside, but overall there were no one at the lake. The lake's natural plants are only found very close to the water since it is entirely surrounded engulfed by bridges and roads. On one side there is town houses and on the other is a highway. The natural animal life there is scarce, but still able to be felt.

This evening I took a walk down to the Reservoir on campus, which was nearby the Chestnut Hill Reservation, where I did my previous nature walk. This time, about three weeks later, it was interesting to see how much the appearance of the plant wildlife had changed. Before, all of the trees were green and there were not many berries or fruits to be seen, however now, the leaves are just starting to change color. I was able to see some yellow hickory leaves as well as some flowers and berries. As I was walking around some trees looked like they had barely any leaves, while others still had many. It was interesting comparing this walk to my last walk and I thought a lot about how quickly the seasons can change. The fall foliage, while beautiful, also reminded me of the passing of time.

Over fall break my roommate and I went home to Dartmouth, MA and took a walk on a nature trail through the woods and marshes. The trails weren't too narrow; however, not too wide but a perfectly natural landscape. The foliage was beautiful and the long board walks took us over the marshes and water. We saw a lot of wildlife: some fish, beautiful birds, and of course plants, from fruits to mosses. It was as empty as expected for a Tuesday. There were a few photographers on the trails but for 99% of the time it was just us talking. It is one of my favorite places at home and it certainly didn't let me down this fall. It was beautiful and sunny, with no breeze. I would say it was in the mid 60's today -- we even got a little warm on the walk.

I went for a walk in a nature preserve in my home town right before dusk. It had been cloudy earlier in the day but when I went the sun was setting without a cloud in sight. As soon as I entered the woods I found three bucks and four does all feeding on a trail and making grunting noises. As I passed the deer I found some brambles and ferns on the ground, as well as acorns from some oak trees that the deer were eating. I kept walking and found some small hickory trees with even more deer nearby eating some grasses. As I left, I saw a sugar maple.

Reproduction and migration are the two most demanding tasks in a bird’s life, and the vast majority of species separate them into different times of the year. Only two bird species have been shown to undertake what scientists call “itinerant breeding”: nesting in one area, migrating to another region, and nesting again there within the same year, to take advantage of shifting food resources.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191015075314.htm

If you want to donate, visit the Center’s website, www.hrec.ucanr.edu, for more information. There is a mandatory data entry log as well as more information on HREC and its mission.

https://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/2019/10/15/help-fill-the-acorn-bank-mendocino-county-libraries-hopland-research-and-extension-center-and-others-restoring-environment/amp/

People have dozens of myths and misconceptions about bats. “People have learned more about other species, like birds, but bats haven’t always gotten proper conservation attention,” explained Leila Harris, UC Davis ecology graduate student. “Bats are not any more dangerous than other wild animals and it’s important to recognize that a lot of concerns or impressions of bats simply aren’t based on reality.” Humans are far more dangerous to bats than bats are to humans.

https://magazine.ucdavis.edu/debunking-bat-myths/

Thousands of specklebelly geese and other birds arrive in a rice field near Yuba City, as the Pacific Flyway wildlife migration intensifies. Sacramento Valley rice fields provide food and a resting place for millions of birds.

https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article236237168.html

This weekend, while visiting home, I took a nature walk with my family in my hometown of Massapequa, New York. The weather was beautiful. It was about sixty-five degrees and partly cloudy, but mostly sunny. The sun shone through the leaves of the trees, and the lake in the middle was a dark blue. At first, I spotted a juniper and then some ferns. On iNaturalist, it suggested that the ferns were cinnamon fern. I also passed by a dark blue/violet flower, which I identified as a chicory. There was also an abundance of smaller pine trees in the area. I came across berries that were a variety of shades of blue, and iNaturalist identified them as porcelain berries. I also passed weeds with pinkish bristles, and white flowers that appeared to be swamp asters. Overall, it was a beautiful nature walk featuring a wide range of plant diversity.

Chickadees. Juncos. Woodpeckers….

These familiar backyard Berkeley birds are all at risk from climate change, according to a detailed new report released last week by the National Audubon Society.

https://www.berkeleyside.com/2019/10/15/berkeley-birds-at-risk-from-climate-change

For my recent nature walk, I went around the woods in New Hampshire. I am lucky enough that I live near such amazing ecosystems and I particularly enjoyed walking around a dried up pond near my house. I found a lot of mosses during my walk and that must've been due to the wet living conditions. Tying this back to what we have learned in class I could see the correlations with how land plants arose from water plants. It was clear to see how well the mosses grew in the wet environments, with my favorite observation being the picture that shows moss covering the entire ground-level of the tree. I also found a lot of ferns on my walk. They were in many different colors - from dark green to light green and dark brown to tan. I believe that may be because of hydration, but iNaturalist was labeling them as different species. The weather was fair, with some clouds and a little wind chill. But, overall my walk was a calming way to end my fall break.

Just had a ruby-throat chase another into my window. Now window strike but the poor little girl had her beak stuck in the screen and the other kept aggressively attacking her. Luckily it was only for a second and she got out.

TIME & DATE: 2019/10/14 @ 13:45
DURATION: 195 minutes
LOCATION: Bruce Trail/Crawford Lake, Halton Hills, Ontario
WEATHER: 11°C, gentle breeze (3 on Beaufort Scale), 50% cloud cover, no precipitation
HABITATS: Talus cliff (escarpment), mixed forest, meromictic lake, cedar swamp

We hiked in along the Bruce Trail entrance off of Canyon Rd, heading southeast toward Crawford Lake Conservation Area. Immediately, we were within a forested ecosystem. It was mostly mixed with Sugar Maple, White Ash, Ironwood, Black Cherry, Basswood, Paper Birch, Yellow Birch, Eastern White Pine, Eastern White Cedar, Eastern Hemlock and Red Oak. Two Northern Chipmunks scurried through the mixed forest, and I could hear two Red Squirrels up in the trees chirping at each other. Some of the ash and maple trees were covered in the silk tents of the Fall Webworm Moth. Their limbs were bare from the caterpillars.

Suddenly, the valley deepened, the forest turned damp and the ground was mucky. All around us were Eastern White Cedar, as the forest transitioned to a cedar swamp. The ground was moss covered and only Royal Ferns grew in the understorey. My mum and I checked under a couple of logs and rocks, hoping that we’d come across a salamander because we thought that this looked like perfect habitat for them – but alas, no salamanders. We could hear a couple of birds calling to each other above us, but I don’t really know what species they might have been.

We climbed up out of the valley and followed the ridgeline of the Niagara Escarpment. We paused at a lookout and I counted six Turkey Vultures soaring in the calm breeze above us. One Turkey Vulture posed for onlookers on a nearby snag. It’s likely that the topography in and around the escarpment creates a nice uplift of air that allows the vultures to scavenge easily from the air, gazing at the valley below. A sign posted next to the lookout said that Turkey Vultures can soar for as long as two hours without ever flapping their wings.

As we continued up the path toward Crawford Lake’s famous meromictic lake, I saw a couple of trees with obvious woodpecker drill holes. Some of the holes were larger – perhaps belonging to a Pileated Woodpecker; others were smaller and lower to the ground. My guess is that they perhaps belong to a Downy Woodpecker. Along the side of the path, we spotted a bird’s nest hanging low in a Basswood tree (maybe 1.5 m off the ground). The nest was small – only about the size of my palm – and iNaturalist suggests that it probably belonged to a vireo. I wondered why the nest was so low to the ground; wouldn't that make it easier to predate?

At the lake, I didn’t see anything except for a Red Squirrel. I do, however, know from previous visits to this lake that several species of fish, including Rock Bass and Sunfish species, as well as amphibians like Northern Leopard Frog inhabit the lake. These species of fish are pretty good generalists and can often be found in diverse ecological conditions. I suppose that is why they are able to survive despite the anoxic waters deeper in the lake.

Ah, fall. That time of year where the air is crisp, the leaves are so bright that looking at them dazzles the mind, and all food items suddenly come in pumpkin-spice flavor. All across the state, the hills echo with the honks of geese and the exclamations of camera wielding foliage enthusiasts anxious to capture the fleeting splendor. As a Vermonter, I’ve always found this to be the perfect time of year to be outside. Between the cool sunny days, stunning scenery, and distinct drop in biting insect populations, it’s hard to stay indoors. I welcome this change of season, despite knowing that endless dark and cold months will follow.

Animals too sense this change and are busy preparing for the long winter ahead. As I write, Vermont’s vast array of biodiversity is scrambling to make their final arrangements before the deep freeze. This makes autumn an excellent time of year to make observations before curling up near the heater to watch the snow fall.

Hello and welcome to our new weekly column - Tech Tip Tuesday (TTT), where we’ll offer tools to take your observations to the next level. In the coming weeks, I invite you to ask questions and send suggestions of topics that you would like to see covered in a weekly TTT post. Beyond tech tips, some weeks we’ll suggest tasks that you can easily tackle, and help science too. These tasks will either build on tech tips that we’ve touched on in previous weeks or provide inspiration for you to get out and explore Vermont’s natural heritage.

This Week on Tuesday Tech Tip

The change of seasons offers a great opportunity to learn about adding annotations for iNaturalist observations, specifically those focused on sex, life stage, and phenology. Phenology refers to an area of scientific study exploring the relationship between seasonal or climatic changes and biological events, such as migration, mating, and flowering. In iNaturalist, you can indicate the sex of a plant or animal, an animal’s life stage, and whether a plant is fruiting or flowering. Although often overlooked, providing this information when possible helps scientists track animal and plant population dynamics, and their response to changes in their habitat. By providing annotation information in iNaturalist, you can help us at VAL keep a more detailed record as conditions change over time.

Many of you may already record this data. If so, skim through to the task at the end! Entering annotations on iNaturalist is relatively simple, however many users miss this vital step for one main reason: you can only add annotations to the final uploaded observation. Adding an annotation is possible both on your desktop computer and your android phone (sorry iPhone and iPad users, it’s still not available). To add an annotation, go to the observation on iNaturalist and locate the “annotation” bar either at the bottom of the page (android) or on the right-hand side (web). From there, you can select any information that applies to your observation.

A note: please only record the information that you know for sure, similar to when identifying your observations. For example, if you’re not sure whether an observation is male or female, leave it blank and perhaps another naturalist will help you.

Identifiers can also add annotations to an observation. To find observations that are missing annotations, select “filters” and then “more filters” on the “Identify” page to locate observations missing a certain annotation. Once you have filtered your results, click on the observation you want to edit, go to the “annotations” tab, and make a selection.

TTT Task of the Week

While this step isn’t always easily thought of, since you can’t complete it during the recording step, it’s vitally important to monitoring flora and fauna. Your task this week is a choice between two things (or both):

1. Go out and locate at least two observations that you can annotate. Fruiting shrubs, deer, the final Monarchs preparing to make their way south – it’s all waiting for you to catalogue!
2. Help annotate other naturalists observations. Search through VAL’s observations and find at least two observations lacking annotations that you can confidently add.

Thank you for helping us map Vermont’s web of life and happy observing!

Over fall break I went for a walk on a trail in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The weather was a little chilly, but sunny. Most of the leaves of trees had begun changing colors or falling. I observed many different types of plants. Most of the plants I saw on my walk were vascular plants. I observed two types of plants with larger, green leaves. iNaturalist identified them as being Amphicarpaea and American Beech, or Fagus grandifolia. I also observed long grass like plants that iNaturalist identified as Bedstraws. Another plant I observed had small red berries on it and it was identified as Barberries. I enjoyed this walk and observing all of the different plants in the area.

We had our settings off slightly for yesterday's count. We have updated this and it appears many observations were automatically brought into the Coastal GA Butterfly Count. Hopefully our error has not left out any observations intended to be associated with our efforts to hold this 1 day butterfly BioBlitz.

Thank you to those who participated. If you have suggestions on how to improve this project let us know. We would like to pick some other dates to hold these 1 day events.

Thanks,

Coastal WildScapes

Are you keen to participate?

1. Download the app and practice! Please ask below if you have any queries.

2. Contact us below, suggesting how you may help.
We need people to help with:
- leading bioblitzes (events at which laypeople and experts meet to discover the fauna and or flora and or fungi of a place and record it) during the event
- organizing hikes and expeditions
- linking up other activities with the challenge: for instance, walking groups, running groups, hiking groups, safety patrols, fairs, beach cleanups, hacks, etc. to combine to regular activities with observing for the challenge.
- helping reserve managers and friends groups to prepare, organize, run and make fun events in our reserves during the four days. This can be bringing in schools, recruiting new members, general lay events, bioblitzes and other events.
- arranging sponsorship for disadvantaged schools and groups to visit our nature reserves in conjunction with CTEET.
- monitoring plants in our city streets and parks to record what is where and the status (including absence!) of various plagues such as Polyphagous Shothole Borer Beetle, and Gum Clamshell Lerp.
- anything else you can think of.

We will put you in touch with the relevant person to realize your dream ...

Yesterday I went for a hike up Mount Ninham in my hometown of Carmel (Kent), New York. Ninham is probably my favorite place to hike, mostly because there is a firetower at the top of the trail, the highest point in the county, with amazing views from the top. You can even see the NYC skyline on a clear day. It is the perfect place to watch a sunset, which is exactly what I did yesterday! I went at around 6 p.m. and it was the perfect temperature, probably about 65ºF. The top of the firetower is usually extremely windy, but yesterday it was comfortable. While walking up I kept spotting chipmunks and wanted to take pictures, but they move so fast I never ended up getting a good picture. The changing colors of the leaves looked so beautiful, and the bright yellow and orange leaves that had already fallen, covered the trail entirely. It looked magical. I thought it was so cool to take observations and realize how different each type of plant is, even if they look relatively similar. If you notice in my observations, I had to turn my camera's flash on for my last observation, because it was too dark without flash. The sun set so quickly, it was amazing to watch it physically descend into the horizon of trees. Though I started walking down soon after, it still managed to get dark fast; a good reminder that winter is soon approaching. I thought it was interesting that I was able to observe some berries. I never noticed any berries before while hiking that trail. By taking iNaturalist observations, I felt more connected to a place that I thought I knew so well. The observations reminded me that there's still so much to learn.

My nature walk for this week consisted of wild organisms I came across on my walk from campus to the Starbucks on Washington Street. The walk itself takes about 25 min but there is a park on the way so I spent a little time here. The weather was beautiful, about 65 degrees, sunny, and slightly breezy. I saw a wide range of plants, from mosses, to flowers, to weeds. I also saw a lot of fungi on the wood of trees and on rocks, but did not include any photos. There was a ton of people out and about today walking their dogs so I got to meet a lot of friendly doggies:)

For this nature walk, I decided to once again try somewhere new, so I went to the Houghton Garden in Newton. The garden, despite its name, is wild, and is not landscaped. As the theme for this walk is plants, I spent the majority of my time there looking for different types of them, capturing a picture of one every now and then. I even managed to find a good amount of lichens and mosses around the area. The Garden itself was really nice, with the foliage and trails surrounding a central pond. However, the sound of the nearby T going by every now and then surely interrupted the peaceful atmosphere, but I wouldn't say that it completely ruined the experience. Funnily enough, for the first time this semester that I wasn't looking for a vertebrate, they were everywhere. Every time I turned a corner on a trail there was a chipmunk or squirrel standing in the middle of the path. The weather was perfect, with sunny skies and the temperature hovering in the mid to low 60s.

This weekend I went back home to Long Island. On Monday the weather was particularly nice, so my mom and I decided to go on a walk to see the leaves begin to change color and along the way, we saw diverse plantlife. We went to a wooded area near my house commonly known as Shu Swamp. I used to go there a lot when I was younger, so it was a nostalgic experience. Though a fair amount of the plants have begun dying, it's interesting to see the plants that are still thriving (as many of my photographs demonstrate). It was a really nice experience.

Today, I took an uber out to the Webster Conservation Area after my flight. It was sunny and a tad bit chilly. I went by myself and explored the area. The area was beautiful as all the trees were beginning to change colors. While many of the trees looked similar from afar, I noticed that there was a good amount of variety and differences between the different trees as I got closer. This conservation area was really nice. There is definitely a lot more that I could have explored, but I was getting tired. It is a really nice conservation area that I would definitely recommend.

I went to this forum discussion: https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/how-to-use-inaturalists-search-urls-wiki/63

Reading through I developed my own url:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&subview=table&taxon_id=47157&without_taxon_id=47224&user_id=annainok&verifiable=any

This gives me all my moths, without my butterflies (excluding Superfamily Papilionoidea)

Just putting this here so I can find it...it's probably old news to everyone else. :)

I went to Nantucket Island for fall break. There is a lot of protected land behind my house, so I mainly walked through there but also walked along a path not far from my house. I saw a large variety of plants which was exciting, because I was a little worried about finding diversity. Seeing the diversity in the small area where I walked alone, showed me how wrong I was. It was especially interesting to see all of the different types of trees. There was not very many flowers around, but I think that has to do with the time of year. Overall, it was very successful and informative. This is unrelated to the plants, but a deer ran right past me which was pretty crazy and scary because I have never been that close to one before. Overall, it was a nice time for reflection and observation.

The Orange County chapter of the California Native Plant Society is giving away one free four-inch California buckwheat plant beginning October 5 at Acorn Day in O’Neill Regional Park. Plants will be distributed for planting in Orange County gardens only. Each of the 1,500 Buckwheat plants will be added to the OC Buckwheat Map as they are planted throughout the county.

The ‘Dana Point’ variety of California buckwheat grows naturally in the Dana Point headlands area and was selected by Tree of Life Nursery. This plant blooms profusely during late spring and summer, and often longer, with creamy white flowers that attract butterflies and other pollinators. California buckwheat is easy to grow and requires little water once established. The 'Dana Point' selection mounds one-to-three-feet and blends perfectly in any garden. California buckwheat is beautiful on a slope, in a border, or in a themed garden.

Click on the link for a list of events where you can get your free buckwheat plant until November 6th:
https://occnps.org/buckwheat-in-every-garden.html

And check with your local California Native Plant Society chapter for similar events:
https://www.cnps.org/

A lovely walk on a perfect autumn day - sunny and bright. We took the trail to the bluffs overlook which give a nice view of the area (including Gilette Stadium). Most of the trail was wide and flat, and there were some great boardwalks through areas that are no doubt very muddy at other times of the year. Lots of yellow and orange fall color, with pops of red here and there. I was amazed by the quiet. Usually when I'm hiking in the greater Boston area its hard to avoid road noise, but this felt much more secluded!

I took a few quick photos of a large insect that seemed to have too many legs because I was chasing a toddler and didn't have time to look at it carefully, but when I looked at the photos, I realized it was actually two spiders interacting (!) - mating perhaps.

The Rains Came
(briefly)
Outramps CREW Diaries
Tuesday
15th October 2019

“If a man walks in the woods for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer. But if he spends his days as a speculator, shearing off those woods and making the earth bald before her time, he is deemed an industrious and enterprising citizen.” – Henry David Thoreau
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ALBUM 15th October 2019
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMfjW9VKVHyLzFuYtGcNiyTc6tv8FKo2vxvxsVYXOWH0M9YXlJZUF2O73sQ4dCIXg?key=YlJmbFpxMjBlR0g4eXVYTEZ1MDJXYVRiZ2xKc2J3

For captions or info click on i on the top right-hand side. A good way to go - the slideshow is found at the top of the page on the rt hand side by clicking on the 3 dots. Featured today – Romanskraal in the Langeberg, Robinson Pass and Attakwaskloof in the Outeniquas, Nicky and Fred go west, Giant Kingfisher, Pepsi Pools and Ballots Heights on the Southern Cape Coast.

For names and captions of the photos used on this version of the Diaries - see the Album.

For earlier versions of the Outramps CREW Diaries
https://us17.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=be2accf3de565e1297257f79e&id=8113ba68c6
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HAT Evie in Romanskraal, eastern Langeberg Mountains
The South Cape section of the MCSA led by HAT Derek spent 3 nights over the heritage weekend in September backpacking in this part of the Langeberg. There was an attempt to climb to the very top of Spitskop/Perdeberg, below which horses were pastured during the Boer War. We also paid a visit to a San Rock Art shelter, so I feel we achieved a real, live heritage weekend, while enjoying some of South Africa’s best natural areas. Some much needed rain, accompanied by gusting winds arrived on one of our nights - a good time to put our tents to the test! Thank goodness Tony B and Evie had done some improvements to the backpacking tent and we were warm and dry on the inside.

On my previous visit in 2016 the Fynbos was almost a “no go” on the hikes off the jeep track. This time the access was easy due to burning about 2 years ago. We did explore a very different area to our previous trip. In the lower areas numerous Ericas were on display. They included Erica grata (R) and there were some E. melanthera and E. curviflora in flower on the high terrain. E. versicolor was dominant all over and interestingly, all plants had 4-nate flowers.

Other plants returning post-burn are resprouting Protea cynaroides; resprouting Leucospermum cuneiforme; young Leucospermum winteri (NT) - I noticed only one sheltered tree in flower. Berzelia and Brunia plants are popping up all over and scores of Psoralea shrubs are enjoying the lower, wetter areas. We found a dense pocket of Cyclopia bowieana at high altitude next to a seep area. It is a Langeberg/Outeniqua endemic. High up on the escarpment with views over the Klein Karoo, to my surprise I saw a few small trees (? single stem) of Hypocalyptus sophoroides at an altitude of 1309m. These trees are growing in rocky, arid conditions in the worst wind possible – literature generally says they like to grow near streams?? Also on the high ground, pretty carpets of purple Indigofera concava were interspersed with yellow Ursinia trifida. I noticed an unusual “Lobelia carpet” in a little overhang on one of the ridgelines we climbed and then noticed the same in the more open “Rock Art shelter”. It could well be Lobelia dasyphylla (R).

A wonderful trip, great company and next time the hardier types will need to carry some climbing gear – so that the top of Spitskop, our heritage peak can be achieved.
Evie
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Robinson Pass in the Outeniquas
The mountains were hazy on Friday on the Robinson Pass and the forecasts were talking of significant rain for the weekend that lay ahead, as SIM set out on the Kouma Trail. With the bone-crunching drought persisting, the possibility of some relief was the main topic of conversation on the field trip. For once, the plants took second place.

But even second place is better than a "kick in the pants". The crowd-stopper for the day was the stunning magenta Hypocalyptus coluteioides, which is so, so beautiful. Aspalathus digitifolia (Vulnerable) was growing in sheets on the mountainside, with aspects ranging from true south to dead north. It is loving the lack of competition on the recently burnt slopes. Helichrysum felinum was in shades from white, pink to maroon and Orchids of various shapes and sizes were plentiful.

And on Saturday and Sunday, the rain came down and we were lucky enough to get 55mm. Chatting to Jan Vlok, even Oudtshoorn managed to get into double figures for the first time in ages.
tanniedi
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Ruitersberg Eastern Buttress
Being the lone representative of the High Altitide Team, I had the steep ascent to the Eastern Buttress of Robinson Pass to myself on Friday. It's bundu bashing all the way to the 1330m peak, but the going is fine as the vegetation is still pretty low after the 2017 fires.

The scenery is spectacular from the top and there is a narrow ridgetop trail made by generations of klipspringers. The mountain is dry and many of the reseeders, along with orchids and bulbs have yet to put in an appearance. Flowers of interest include:
Wurmbea punctata - according to redlist and iNat, all previous records are west of Swellendam
Cyclopia bowieana - (on peak)
Indigofera sarmentosa simplicifolia subsp. nova (id Mr Fab)
Dave
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HAT Evie Attakwaskloof ridgeline
While the Outramps explored areas off the Robinson on Friday 27 Sept, HAT Evie joined the South Cape MCSA on a hike nearby on the following day. We explored the Attakwaskloof ridgeline, which runs parallel to the Western Outeniqua Range of mountains. A very interesting, rocky hike with constant views of both the Outeniquas on the northern side, while to the south the remaining Attakwas hills unfold.

Mostly it seems I saw similar plants to the Outramps group - the normal rares of the area are slowly returning after the fire 19 months ago. Here and there in rocky pockets a few plants remain unscathed by burning.

Rares seen; several new small plants of Acmadenia tetragona (NT); down in the valley Aristea nana (R) ; Serruria fasciflora (NT) )were mostly new plants; Erica unicolor subsp mutica (EN) surviving in a few rocky spots on top of the ridgeline; Brunsvigia josephinae (VU) with several new bulbs in their green-leaf stage appearing on one of the slopes.

Numerous yellow daisies id'd as Ursinia trifida gave a general golden glow all over, while Erica viridiflora was iridescent in vivid, emerald-green up on the high ridge. On the ridge tops and on the higher northern slopes there were many new flowering Psoraleas making a big display - possibly 4 different varieties, or will the experts say, ”all are new hybrids of each other”! The very warty Psoralea I saw across the valley on the Western Outeniqua Mountains last year was not apparent during today’s hike.
Evie
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Nicky and Fred go West
Fred and I decided to do some detours on our way to Cape Town to visit family. Our first stop was a walk along a valley in Groenefontein, part of the Gamkaberg Conservation Area. It was very dry with very little in flower. Crassula hemisphaerica (LC), Cadaba aphylla (LC) and Pachypodium succulentum (LC) did provide some colour, but this time around, I took more photographs of fossils and lichens than flowers.

The next day we did part of the Cogmanskloof Trail, which winds through South Langeberg Sandstone Fynbos on the outskirts of Montagu. The fynbos was beautiful, the positive result of a fire a few years ago. I photographed some plants new to me, and Mike Bate identified the Longhorn Beetle in my pictures as Clavomela ciliata – a first for iNaturalist.

On Wednesday we took the tourist tractor ride up to the hut at the base of Arangieskop and walked down the road back to our car. An icy wind howled at the top, making photography very difficult, but once we started down the northern slope the weather was perfect. The long downhill was hard on my knees, but the North Langeberg Sandstone Fynbos was a great distraction, having burnt in March 2017.
Stop Press: Damionjp has just identified the Pelargonium I thought was a colour variant of P. tricolor, as the rare Pelargonium burgerianum !

On Thursday, we dropped in at the Karoo Botanical Gardens, where we earned our lunch by walking the Shale Trail in 34 degrees Celsius. The Vygies were looking magnificent!

A walk along the base of Lion's Head, before we left Cape Town provided the last bit of botanizing for this trip. It is also recovering from fire. Moraea bellendenii, Wachendorfia paniculata, Pelargonium triste, P. capitatum, P. althaeoides, P. myrrhifolium and elongatum, Ornithogalum thyrsoides, Berkheya armata and Salvia africana-caerulea were some of the plants providing colour to the burnt landscape.

I have taken lots of photographs, so have plenty of memories of a great trip west and enough to keep me iNatting for a while!
Nicky
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Ballots Heights
Henry Paine is one of the top Laser sailors at the George Lakes Yacht Club. He has the boat shed next to ours and he and his wife Sally live at Ballots Bay. With the prevailing drought, there has been lots of discussion over the last couple of months about fire and fire-prevention. Ballots Bay has wooden houses and lots of senescent Fynbos turning into Thicket. They have undertaken some clearing and stacking and are waiting for the right conditions to do a controlled burn. In the meantime, lots of plants are coming up in the cleared areas. An invitation to the Outramps to come and have a look proved irresistible.

The usual SIM members, Nicky, Sandra, Ann, Jenny and Di were augmented by Jo-Anne, Rebecca and Brittany. Rebecca and Brittany are students at NMU and Jo-Anne is the youthful chairman of the Garden Route Branch of the Botanical Society. Having survived the drive up the death-defying entry road to Ballots Heights, we were met by Sally and Henry, who showed us where the clearing had been done. We combed through the area with cameras at the ready. Our aim was to catalogue all the plants seen on iNaturalist. Nicky and Fred have created a Place on iNat and it is already populated with lots more to come.
Ballots Heights - : https://www.inaturalist.org/places/ballots-heights Click on Observations and your will see some of the plants and insects that reflect the biodiversity of the area. We also created an album Ballots Heights October 2019

We are hoping to return at the change of seasons for the next year or so, so that we can have a comprehensive picture of what grows and lives there. We would like to hold a mini iNat course for the residents, so that they too can contribute to the biodiversity catalogue for Ballots Heights. And if the controlled burn comes about, there will be even more reason to return. Thanks to Sally and Henry for giving us this wonderful opportunity.
tanniedi
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STOP PRESS
A snippet which came in from Brian/The Boy/Mr Fab
This Otholobium was first found by Jan Vlok way back, then the Outramps went back to the area and re-found it in November 2013. It had never been collected in flower, until I found a few flowers last week. Prof Charlie and I are now working to describe the species asap. The population consists of over 100 plants sprouting after the fire, but they are threatened by Hakea sericea, which is germinating all over the slope. It is going to be called Otholobium outrampsii.
Mr Fab
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Out and About in the Southern Cape
Bosduif Loop on Giant Kingfisher Trail
The forest is recovering after the recent rains and the banks were covered with flowering Crassula orbicularis. After completing the high Bosduif Loop, we took the track that leads to the stepping stones up-river of the pont. The going was surprisingly tricky, but we had loads of fun watching some young German tourists crossing the strongly-running Touw River. They got their feet wet.

Pepsi Pools
It was a pleasant walk on a blustery, showery day with WAGS. We had a top-up of 12mm to add to the 55mm over the weekend. The stunning bronze/pink leaves of Blechnum attenuatum were the highlight of this very attractive hike. Wet and cold, we were pleased to huddle in front of the fire at Platforms, where we met after the hike for a drink and a bite to eat and a mini celebration of Bill's 85th birthday.
tanniedi
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Field Trips
Friday 18th - SIM has never done Flanagans Rock, although we do it often with WAGS. After the recent rain, the slopes on the northern side of Cradock, should be looking spectacular. The week after that, we will probably go and check what Spring and some rain have produced in Camferskloof.
Hamba Kahle
Groete en dankie
Di Turner
Outramps CREW Group
South Africa

All id’s subject to confirmation by Doc AnneLise and Jan Vlok, Steven Molteno, Dr Tony Rebelo, Nick Helme, Prof Charlie Stirton, Dr Robert Archer, Dr Robert McKenzie, Dr Ted Oliver, Dr Christopher Whitehouse, Adriaan Grobler, Prix Burgoyne, Dr Kenneth Oberlander, Dr Pieter Winter, Dr David Gwynne-Evans, Malthinus and Mattmatt on iNat. Thank you all for your ongoing help and support.
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Outramps Places on iNaturalist – You can browse through the observations or refer to the checklist which is in alphabetical order eg. Animals, birds etc.

Area of Interest to the Southern Cape Herbarium - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/southern-cape-aoi
Ballots Heights - : https://www.inaturalist.org/places/ballots-heights
Baviaanskloof - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/bo-kloof-guest-farm-baviaanskloof
Buffelsfontein- https://www.inaturalist.org/places/buffelsfontein-435-portion-2-albertinia
Cola Conservancy - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/cola-conservancy
De Mond - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/de-mond-nature-reserve
Dune Molerat Trail - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/dune-molerat-trail
Eco-reflections - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/reflections-eco-reserve#page=1
Featherbed Nature Reserve - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/featherbed-nature-reserve
Gamkaberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/gamkaberg
Gerickes Punt - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/gerickes-punt#/places/gerickes-punt
Great Brak River Conservancy put on by Stuart Thomson - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/great-brak-river-conservancy
Gouriqua - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/gouriqua-private-nature-reserve
Gouritzmond - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/the-gouritsmond-commonage
Heaven in the Langkloof - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/heaven-in-the-langkloof
Herolds Bay - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-herolds-bay
Kammanassie - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-kammanassie-reserve
Klein Swartberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/klein-swartberg
Knysna - Westford Bridge https://www.inaturalist.org/places/westford-bridge-estate-knysna
Kouga Mountains Kliphuis - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-kouga-mountains
Kouga Wildernis - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/kouga-wildernis
Kranshoek - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-kranshoek-
Langeberg Grootvadersbosch - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/grootvadersbosch-nature-reserve
Masons Rust - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/masons-rust-32-ptn-4-gezwinds-kraal-41-ptn-0
Mons Ruber and surrounds - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/mons-ruber-and-surrounds
Mossel Bay District - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/mossel-bay-district
Mossel Bay Aalwyndal - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/aalwyndal
Mossel Bay Diosma Reserve - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/diosma-reserve
Mossel Bay - :https://www.inaturalist.org/places/hartenbos-heuwels
Mossel Bay - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/erf-14072
Mossel Bay - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/erf-19201
Mossel Bay St Blaize Trail - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/st-blaize-trail
Natures Valley - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/nature-s-valley-south-cape-south-africa
Outeniquas Bobbejaanberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-bobbejanberg-in-the-outeniquas
Outeniquas Camferskloof - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-camferskloof
Outeniquas, Collinshoek and the Big Tree - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outenoquas-collinshoek-and-the-big-tree
Outeniquas - Cradock and George Peak Trail - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/cradock-peak-trail
Outeniquas Doringrivier East - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-doringrivier-east-in-the-outeniquas
Outeniquas East - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-eastern-outeniquas-from-bergplaas-to-gouna
Outeniquas Eseljagt - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/ezeljagt-eseljagt-and-surrounds
Outeniquas Eseljagtpoort - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/ezeljagts-poort-72-ptn-0-eseljagt-poort
Outeniquas Flanagans Rock - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/flanagans-rock-rsa
Outeniquas Goudveld -
https://www.inaturalist.org/places/goudveld-garden-route-national-park
Outeniquas Jonkersberg Bowl - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-jonkersberg-in-the-outeniquas
Outeniquas Langeberg https://www.inaturalist.org/places/lange-berg-112
Outeniquas Montagu Pass North - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-montagu-pass-north
Outeniquas North Station -https://www.inaturalist.org/places/north-station-on-the-montagu-pass
Outeniquas Paardekop - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/paardekop-13
Outeniquas Paardepoort East - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-paardepoort-east
Outeniquas Paardepoort West - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-paardepoort-wes
Outeniquas Pizza Ridge - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-pizza-ridge
Outeniquas Southern Traverse - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-outeniqua-southern-traverse
Outeniquas Waboomskraal Noord - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/waboomskraal-noord.
Robberg Corridor - : https://www.inaturalist.org/places/robberg-coastal-corridor-roodefontein-440-ptn-42
Robberg Corridor - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/robberg-coastal-corridor-krans-hoek-432-ptn-5
Robberg Corridor - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/robberg-coastal-corridor-e8267c6b-9263-4a87-a721-a24619be6dc8
Rooiberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-rooiberg-reserve
Spioenkop - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/ruigtevlei-plantations
Strawberry Hill - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/strawberry-hill-7-passes-road-wilderness-south-africa
Swartberg Bloupunt - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-bloupunt-swartberg
Swartberg Spitskop - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-spitskop-to-meiringspoort-swartberg
Swartberg, Swartberg Pass to Bothashoek high and low - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/swartberg-pass-to-bothashoek-jeep-track-and-crag-route
Swartberg Waboomsberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/waboomsberg-in-the-swartberg
Uitzicht Portion 39 - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/uitzigt-216-portion-39
Uitzicht - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/uitzigt-216-ptn-65
Western Head - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/walker-s-point-215-portion-1-buffalo-bay
Western Head – https://www.inaturalist.org/places/walker-s-point-215-portion-2-buffalo-bay
Western Head - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/walker-s-point-215-portion-3-buffalo-bay
Western Head - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/western-head-knysna
White Heather - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/white-heather
Wilderness Brown Hooded Kingfisher Trail – https://www.inaturalist.org/places/brown-hooded-kingfisher-trail
Wilderness Kingfisher Trail - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/kingfisher-trails
Witteberg Kromme Rivier - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/kromme-rivier-72-ptn-0-willowmore

Outramps CREW Stellenbosch HAT node
Jonkershoek created by Vynbos - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/jonkershoek-cv
Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/mont-rochelle-nature-reserve
Papegaaiberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/papegaaiberg

Outramps Projects on iNaturalist

Outramps CREW Group - all postings
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/outramps-crew-group
Ballots Heights - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=143599
Ericas of the Southern Cape - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/ericas-of-the-southern-cape
Fungi of the Southern Cape - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/fungi-of-the-southern-cape
Geraniaceae of the Southern Cape - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/geraniaceae-of-the-southern-cape-of-south-africa
Lianes and Creepers in the Southern Cape and Little Karoo - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/lianes-and-creepers-of-the-southern-cape-and-little-karoo
Veg Types of South Africa (Tony Rebelo)- https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/vegetation-types-of-south-africa
Flowers of the High Drakensberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/flowers-of-the-high-kzn-drakensberg

Outramps CREW Group - iNaturalist stats
59 827 observations
8450 species
19 Observers

(Updated Monthly)
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Abbreviations Glossary

MCSA – Mountain Club of South Africa
MSB - Millenium Seed Bank based at Kew in the UK
WIP – Work in Progress
HAT – High Altitude Team
LOT – Lowland Team
SIM – Somewhere in the Middle Team
WAGS – Wednesday Adventure Group
VB – Vlok Boekie “Plants of the Klein Karoo” and our Plant Bible
ITRTOL – Another thread “In The Rich Tapestry Of Life”(It describes a challenging situation, usually to do with the Buchu Bus)
ITFOT – In the fullness of time
WOESS – Fair Weather Hiker
FMC and JW – too vulgar to translate, but the equivalent is “Strike me Dead” - An expression of surprise and delight on finding a new “Rare”
Kambro – same as above
Fossick – A meter per minute, scratching around looking for rares
SIDB – Skrop in die Bos – Another name for a field trip, this one coined by Prix
BAFFING – Running round like a blue-arsed fly
SYT – Sweet Young Thing - Anyone under the age of 40
TOMB – Get a move on
Mayhem - Needless or willful damage or violence
SESKRYNG – “Sit en staan kry niks gedaan” ,with thanks to Brian
SOS – Skelms on Scramblers
FW – Idiot
BOB – Another name for the Buchu Bus when she’s misbehaving.
CRAFT – A symptom of Old Age
DDD - Metalasia tricolor (Damned Diabolical Daisy)
VP – Vrekplek – Retirement Village
Qàq – Self-explanatory Inuit word describing some of our local problems
Mr Fab – Our Fabaceae specialist, Brian Du Preez – originally Boy 1
Muisvoel -The Mathematician – Peter Thompson
Boy 2 – Kyle Underwood who works on Orchids and is still at school
Sharkie – Finn Rautenbach – Our latest SYT is a surfer in his spare time and is now the Curator of the Garden Route Botanical Garden
Sicko – Someone who suffers from Car Sickness. With 4 in the Group, allocating seating in the Buchu Bus is tricky
VAG – Virgin Active Garage, which is our meeting place when we head north
MATMUE – Meet At The Mall Under E - Meeting place when we head West
WG – Waves Garage in Wilderness East. - Meeting place when we’re going east.
VU- Vulnerable
DDT – Data Deficient and Taxonomically ?
NT – Near Threatened
EN – Endangered
CR – Critically Endangered
PE – Presumed extinct
LC – Least Concern
TBC – To be Confirmed
TLC – Tender loving care
JMS – An expression of absolute disdain
FOMO – Fear of Missing Out
Milk – the fruit of the vine
Condensed Milk – Scotland’s finest export
Full Cream Milk or Fat Milk – Any product of Humulus lupulus eg. Milk Stout
Milk of the Gods – Rooibos and Brandy
Milk Shake - Sparkling Wine
NS – Species of conservation concern new to the Outramps
PS -Priority Species allocated to the Outramps by our CREW Cape Co-ordinator , Ismail Ebrahim
iNatFD – iNaturalist for Dummies as compiled by Sally
Mizzle – Mist and drizzle combined. A regular feature of George in the ”good old days”.
FE – Fire Ephemeral – only appears immediately or after a couple of years after fire
Squirrel – aka President Ramaphosa
WOG – Wrath of God – eg. incurred when you put a young Pine tree on iNat as Leucadendron album
Skedonk - A banger - old, battered motor car more than 30 years old
Hoedown - redneck gathering, usually involves shouting catchy phrases like "yee-haw" and "the south will rise again"
VHF - Vat Hom Fluffie - our nickname for furry or woolly plants
SA - Stay Attractive is Google's translation of "Mooi Bly"
OTL - Out To Lunch is used to describe the Buchu Bus when she's taking a break after she's behaved badly
DFKIAA - A very funny video in Afrikaans is doing the rounds. It refers to the recent power outages.
Walkie Talkies - Botanical walks that include more talking than walking

This time last month, there were about 2,800 Research Grade observations - now there are over 3,500.

Congratulations and many thanks to the >500 identifiers who have been helping with the flowering plants of Indonesia!

(Please do keep on flagging those pot plants and street trees as 'not wild' so that all these research grade observations feeding into GBIF are useful for species range modelling).

Well done, everyone.

１）City Nature Challenge(CNC) 2020に関する情報（準備中）
２）CNC 2020-Tokyo について（準備中）
３）iNaturalistへの登録とCNC 2020-Tokyoへの投稿方法（準備中）